Career and Education Opportunities for Retail Sales Managers in Arlington, Virginia

There is a wide variety of career and education opportunities for retail sales managers in the Arlington, Virginia area. The national trend for retail sales managers sees this job pool growing by about 5.2% over the next eight years. In general, retail sales managers directly supervise sales workers in a retail establishment or department.

A person working as a retail sales manager can expect to earn about $17 per hour or $36,910 per year on average in Virginia and about $16 per hour or $35,310 yearly on average in the U.S. as a whole. Earnings for retail sales managers are not quite as good as earnings in the general category of Sales and Clerical in Virginia and not quite as good as general Sales and Clerical category earnings nationally.

There are eighty-seven schools of higher education in the Arlington area, including eight within twenty-five miles of Arlington where you can get a degree to start your career as a retail sales manager. Retail sales managers usually hold a high school diploma or GED, so it will take only a short time to learn to be a retail sales manager if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Retail Sales Manager

Retail Sales Manager video from the State of New Jersey Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development

In general, retail sales managers directly supervise sales workers in a retail establishment or department. They also duties may include management functions, such as purchasing, budgeting, and personnel work, in addition to supervisory duties.

Retail sales managers assign employees to specific duties. They also examine product to insure that it is correctly priced and displayed and that it functions as advertised. Equally important, retail sales managers have to furnish customer service by greeting and assisting clients, and responding to customer inquiries and complaints. They are often called upon to direct and supervise employees working on sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or in performing services for clients. They are expected to instruct staff on how to handle difficult and complicated sales. Finally, retail sales managers monitor sales efforts to insure that clients receive satisfactory service and quality goods.

Every day, retail sales managers are expected to be able to articulate ideas and problems. They need to listen to and understand others in meetings. It is also important that they write clearly and communicate well.

It is important for retail sales managers to formulate and make ready work schedules and keep records of employees' work schedules and time cards. They are often called upon to establish and implement policies, goals and processes for their department. They also inventory stock and reorder when inventory drops to a specified level. They are sometimes expected to hire and evaluate personnel in sales or marketing establishments, promoting or firing staff when appropriate. Somewhat less frequently, retail sales managers are also expected to direct and supervise employees working on sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or in performing services for clients.

Retail sales managers sometimes are asked to examine products purchased for resale or received for storage to gauge the state of each product or item. and enforce safety and security rules. And finally, they sometimes have to establish credit policies and operating procedures.

Like many other jobs, retail sales managers must have strong self control in the face of challenging situations and be reliable.

Similar jobs with educational opportunities in Arlington include:

Advertising Agent. Sell or solicit advertising, including graphic art, advertising space in publications, custom made signs, or TV and radio advertising time. May obtain leases for outdoor advertising sites or persuade retailer to use sales promotion display items.

Cage Cashier. Exchange coins and tokens for patrons' money. May issue payoffs and obtain customer's signature on receipt when winnings exceed the amount held in the slot machine. May operate a booth in the slot machine area and furnish change persons with money bank at the start of the shift, or count and audit money in drawers.

Cashier. Receive and disburse money in establishments other than financial institutions. Usually involves use of electronic scanners, cash registers, or related equipment. Often involved in processing credit or debit card transactions and validating checks.

Insurance Agent. Sell life, property, or other types of insurance. May refer clients to independent brokers, work as independent broker, or be employed by an insurance company.

Product Demonstrator. Demonstrate merchandise and answer questions for the purpose of creating public interest in buying the product. May sell demonstrated merchandise.

Retail Salesman. Sell merchandise, such as furniture, motor vehicles, or apparel in a retail establishment.

Sales Team Manager. Directly supervise and coordinate activities of sales workers other than retail sales workers. May perform duties, such as budgeting, accounting, and personnel work, in addition to supervisory duties.

Technical Service Representative. Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers where technical or scientific knowledge is required in such areas as biology, engineering, and electronics, normally obtained from at least 2 years of post-secondary education.

Telemarketer. Solicit orders for goods or services over the telephone.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Retail Sales Manager Training

Howard University - Washington, DC

Howard University, 2400 Sixth St NW, Washington, DC 20059-0001. Howard University is a large university located in Washington, District of Columbia. It is a private not-for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 10,696 students and an admission rate of 49%. Howard University has a bachelor's degree program in Business, Management, Marketing, & Related Support Services, Other Specialties which graduated thirty-nine students in 2008.

Marymount University - Arlington, VA

Marymount University, 2807 N Glebe Rd, Arlington, VA 22207-4299. Marymount University is a small university located in Arlington, Virginia. It is a private not-for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 3,541 students and an admission rate of 84%. Marymount University has 2 areas of study related to Retail Sales Manager. They are:

E-Commerce/Electronic Commerce, master's degree which graduated 3 students in 2008.

University of Maryland-University College, 3501 University Blvd East, Adelphi, MD 20783-8010. University of Maryland-University College is a large university located in Adelphi, Maryland. It is a public school with primarily 4-year or above programs and has 34,130 students. University of Maryland-University College has two to four year, postbaccalaureate certificate, and master's degree programs in E-Commerce/Electronic Commerce which graduated one, five, and twenty-nine students respectively in 2008.

Anne Arundel Community College - Arnold, MD

Anne Arundel Community College, 101 College Pky, Arnold, MD 21012-1895. Anne Arundel Community College is a large college located in Arnold, Maryland. It is a public school with primarily 2-year programs and has 15,149 students. Anne Arundel Community College has a one to two year program in Retailing and Retail Operations.

University of the District of Columbia - Washington, DC

University of the District of Columbia, 4200 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008. University of the District of Columbia is a medium sized university located in Washington, District of Columbia. It is a public school with primarily 4-year or above programs and has 5,339 students. University of the District of Columbia has an associate's degree and a bachelor's degree program in Business, Management, Marketing, & Related Support Services, Other Specialties.

George Washington University - Washington, DC

George Washington University, 2121 I Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052. George Washington University is a large university located in Washington, District of Columbia. It is a private not-for-profit school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 25,027 students and an admission rate of 37%. George Washington University has a post-master's certificate and a doctor's degree program in Business, Management, Marketing, & Related Support Services, Other Specialties which graduated one and five students respectively in 2008.

University of Maryland-Baltimore County - Baltimore, MD

University of Maryland-Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250. University of Maryland-Baltimore County is a large university located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a public school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 12,268 students and an admission rate of 72%. University of Maryland-Baltimore County has 2 areas of study related to Retail Sales Manager. They are:

George Mason University, 4400 University Dr, Fairfax, VA 22030-4444. George Mason University is a large university located in Fairfax, Virginia. It is a public school with primarily 4-year or above programs. It has 30,800 students and an admission rate of 63%. George Mason University has a master's degree program in Business, Management, Marketing, & Related Support Services, Other Specialties which graduated seven students in 2008.

Certified Professional SalesPerson:
Whether you're an experienced sales professional looking to take your career to the next level, or new to sales and looking to accelerate your learning curve and income, becoming a NASP Certified Professional SalesPerson (CPSP) will help you get there.

National Professional Certification in Sales:
The Certification was designed to capture the core Sales duties for a broad range of entry-level through first-line supervisory positions across the sales and service industries.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Arlington, Virginia

Arlington, Virginia photo by Postdlf

Arlington is located in Arlington County, Virginia. It has a population of over 209,969, which has grown by 10.8% over the last ten years. The cost of living index in Arlington, 126, is far greater than the national average.

The top three industries for women in Arlington are professional, scientific, and technical services, public administration, and educational services. For men, it is professional, scientific, and technical services, public administration, and construction. The average commute to work is about 27 minutes. More than 60.2% of Arlington residents have a bachelor's degree, which is higher than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 30.6%, is higher than the state average.

The percentage of Arlington residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 29.2%, is less than both the national and state average. Church of the Convenant Presbyterian, Abundant Life United Holy Church and Advent Lutheran Church are among the churches located in Arlington. The largest religious groups are the Catholic Church, the United Methodist Church and the Episcopal Church.

Arlington is home to the Clarendon Metro Station and the Virginia Square-GMU Metro Station as well as Arlington House-Robert E Lee Memorial and Doctors Branch Park. Shopping centers in the area include Lee-Harrison Shopping Center, Ballston Common Shopping Center and Lucas Market Shopping Center. Visitors to Arlington can choose from Econo Lodge National Airport, Crystal Gateway Marriott and Hilton Arlington & Towers for temporary stays in the area.